Et cetera : AmeriCorps NCCC Continues Support of Jasper and Newton Counties in Missouri

By: Alex Johnson, Cedar 1

Three teams of AmeriCorps NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps) members from the Vinton campus are working with FEMA on disaster case management in Jasper and Newton Counties in Missouri. They are partnering with the Jasper County Long Term Recovery Committee to assist local survivors of the April floods and May tornado with acquiring the help they need. These three NCCC teams helped with clean up at IBSSS on Monday, July 11 after the storm hit and then headed for Joplin early Tuesday morning on July 12. They are serving in these two counties through July 30.

The NCCC teams are helping FEMA collect information on disaster cases. NCCC Members call survivors that are registered with FEMA, set up individual meetings with them, collect information to assess their needs and help them connect with the myriad of local resources available. The NCCC teams then pass on the information to FEMA case workers that further aid the survivors. The data is then input into the CAN (Coordinated Assistance Network) so that other organizations, such as The Red Cross and the Salvation Army, can better provide assistance. On the topic of disaster case management NCCC member Alexandra Slick said, “I’m excited to go to Joplin. I feel like this is what I signed up for when I applied for AmeriCorps NCCC. This is a great opportunity for our team.”